Welcome - Pjila'si - Tshima minu-takushinieku

Atelihai - Tunngasugit - Bienvenue

The Office of Aboriginal Affairs pursues a number of goals in response to “A Special Obligation“, the report of a 2009 Presidential Task Force on Aboriginal Initiatives, through collaboration with other university offices and personnel.

An Aboriginal Advisory Committee has been established under the authority of the Office of the President for the purpose of advising the Special Advisor on Aboriginal Affairs on matters relating to academic programming, student support services, public engagement and any other matters as they relate to the mandate of the Office of Aboriginal Affairs. The Committee includes representatives from the Labrador Institute, Grenfell Campus, Marine Institute and the St. John’s campus.

Last year, Memorial’s Office of Aboriginal Affairs completed a study which resulted in the report, Celebrating Aboriginal Culture and Cultivating Inclusion at Memorial University. The report was commissioned in response to a recommendation in the Teaching and Learning Framework which identified a need to support vulnerable learners at Memorial. The reporting process included analysis of the results of an online survey of current and past students who self-identified as Aboriginal, individual consultations and interviews with current and former Aboriginal students, as well as faculty and staff across campuses, an extensive literature review and an environmental scan.

Land Acknowledgement, Memorial University

A land acknowledgement is offered to recognize Aboriginal peoples’ enduring connection to their traditional territories, to recognize the history of the land that is currently shared by many peoples, and to recognize stewardship as a shared commitment of all those who reside in a territory. The practice of territory acknowledgement is itself a replication of an Aboriginal practice that predates European contact.

St. John’s Campus

I (we) would like to respectfully acknowledge the territory in which we gather, as the ancestral homelands of the Beothuk and the island of Newfoundland as the ancestral homelands of the Mi’kmaq and Beothuk. I (we) would also like to recognize the Inuit of Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut and the Innu of Nitassinan, and their ancestors, as the original people of Labrador. We strive for respectful partnerships with all the peoples of this province as we search for collective healing and true reconciliation and honour this beautiful land together.

Grenfell Campus, Corner Brook

I (we) welcome you all to Grenfell Campus.We acknowledge that the land on which we gather is in traditional Mi’kmaw territory, and we acknowledge with respect the diverse histories and cultures of all the Mi’kmaw, Innu, and Inuit peoples of this province.

ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS LISTSERV

An Aboriginal Affairs Listserv has been established to share information on Indigenous-related events, activities, courses, etc.

Please send an email to Susan Kennedy, susan.kennedy@mun.ca, if you wish to subscribe to our email list.